#1: The occultation of a 12th magnitude star by the asteroid Suevia happens at 9:30pm on Friday evening along a narrow path crossing right over our traditional campsite in the Caliente Mtns above Carrizo Plain. The odds of getting a "hit" are good, and we plan to divide up the class into two groups, one each for our two separate observing stations. One will remain at our campsite, and the other will be perhaps 8 miles away to get a separate chord and better define the shape and astrometry for this asteroid. The link provides charts which the telescope operators (me and Kirk Bender) will use to locate this very faint star among the blizzard of faint stars in the sky that are only 12th magnitude. I might have a 3rd station constructed by then, but that's not for sure yet. Most of the components are in hand. The hard part of a 3rd station, is getting someone trained to use it! There's a million things that can go wrong, but if we get set up early enough, we may be able to have it work. No promises on that at this time. Otherwise, you'll either stay at camp or journey with me to a separate station and watch as I describe the data taking. Later we can review the data and see the star wink out, and the GPS time stamps on the video frames, and I'll describe how software uses this to determine the precise absolute UT time of the disappearance and reappearance of the star, and how this is used to determine a sky plane profile of the asteroid which is much higher resolution than can be gotten by any and all telescopes, even the big James Webb, for such tiny distant objects.
Because it happens so early in our weekend, we'll have to be very prompt in setting up. Those arriving late might want to look for us at the remote station before climbing into the mountain. I expect to be setting up the remote station with what students have already arrived and joined me in the van, at 8:40pm, as evening twilight fades into night.
#2. The Lyrid Meteor Shower, which peaks Apr 22 and should produce meteors all weekend. Usually it produces about 15-20 meteors per hour, but once in a while produces a sharp maximum which can reach 300 meteors per hour, as it did in 1922 and in 1982 (which I saw, on a solo snow camping trip high in the Sierra!). There's also the last views of the northern Milky Way still visible in Gemini, Orion, Perseus, and Cassiopiea, with star formation regions, star clusters, nebulae, and wonderful photo opportunities. The last quarter moon won't rise till 2:30am on Saturday, and 3:30am on Sunday, so we'll have time to lay out our sleeping bags under the stars and get in some meteor counts while our camera's are photographing.
Carrizo Plain is a beautiful place, especially in the Spring, when wildflowers can be spectacular. It is also the generally acknowledged most impressive place to see the land forms created by Earth quakes along the San Andreas Fault, which we'll explore during the day. Usually late April is warmer and better weather, but also the flowers are usually past their peak but still it is green and scenic. We can camp for free up in the Caliente Mountains, as we've done many times in past years for Astro 28 and Astro 25.
PDF of PowerPoint Presentation. This has a class in a nutshell, and an early version was shown at the Pre-Trip meeting. It's been updated and it has valuable maps for you as well.
PDF of PowerPoint on Planetary Science
6:40pm Dinner: fixed before sunset, we need to be cleaned up and ready to take off to our asteroid occultation observing sites by 8pm
8:00pm - Team 2 will leave with me in the van to go down to Soda Lake to set up Station 2 for our Sueva occultation. Team 1 will remain at camp and help and learn from Kirk Bender's observations.
9:38pm - The Sueva Occultation. Hope for clear skies. Predictions are for "partly cloudy".
11pm - We've returned to camp. bring out your sleeping bags and we'll gather round and stare up at the night sky and watch for the Lyrid Meteor Shower. Have a recorder or clipboard/pencil to log your observations. I'll instruct how. This shower has produced spectacular meteor deluges a dozen times over the past centuries, including in 1803, 1922, and in 1982 (I was lucky enough to be on a solo snow-camping hermitage at that time, and saw this shower).
Midnight; we'll head to bed!
8am - I'll be starting breakfast prep. Hopefully we can get some help carving fruit for the crepes
9am - breakfast should be in full swing.
10:30am - done, cleaning up, and get your lunches and daypacks ready so we can jump in the vans and head down to...
our destinations for Saturday: The Goodwin Visitor's center, Soda Lake, Wallace Creek, Painted Rock (?? Only if it's possible they have a tour scheduled we can join. I'll find out), drive south along Elkhorn Rd into the fault zone you see on the aerial famous photo, and search for likely spots to find the "black mat" from 12,900 years ago's comet impact which caused the extinction of the great fauna of North America (wooley mammoths, saber tooth tigers, the Clovis people, and much else).
Late afternoon. Return to camp, get some down time.
7pm - Dinner in full swing, Asia Rice a'la Nolthenius, with fresh veges, cocoanut creme, spices, jasmine rice. Only for those who opted for the meal package.
8:30pm - It's dark, time for telescopes. And astrophotography. Watch Roger and Kirk and I getting photos, and bring your own camera and tripod and ask for my help if you want some nice images. If it's cloudy, we can also have a campfire and talks around the fire, but predicted clear skies.
11pm - Try again for Lyrid Meteors with outside sleeping bags. BYO snacks!
8:30am - I fix breakfast! eggs and scallions and olive oil, with some mini-bell peppers, and plenty of Cowboy toast in olive oil.
Pack up camp at our leisure. Drive down to Topaz Solar Farm for a micro-lecture on solar PV and climate change. Last time we tried, they shoo'd us away from the entrance as we had hoped to get an impromptu tour or at least a look. Maybe more friendly this time???
Then head back north along Bitterwater Road, which follows the trace of the San Andreas Fault, with stops to show of unique landforms. Last stop will be near Hwy 46. We'll bid our goodbyes and you're on your own for the drive back to Santa Cruz